LAKELAND, Fla. -- Bruce Rondon was scheduled to throw 30 pitches in his first live batting practice session this spring. He asked for an extra one.

It almost came back to bite him.

Infielder/outfielder Jeff Kobernus, the final batter to face Rondon, smacked pitch No. 31, sending a hard ground ball back up the middle. Rondon took a stab at it, but the ball smacked his glove, sending it flying off his hand.

Rondon looked surprised, then grinned widely. He practiced two pitchouts -- one to each side of the plate -- then made his way off the field.

Rondon smiled when asked about the ball Kobernus hit and said that it simply surprised him. But no one was surprised that Rondon threw hard.

"He looked good," Kobernus said. "His fastball was exploding out of his hand. He had the
slider that he threw to me a few times. He kept it down. It was hard to
pick up. If he's throwing that slider with the fastball he's really
tough to hit."

The majority of the 31 pitches Rondon threw were taken. This early in spring, hitters tend to lean toward tracking the ball and rarely swing. There were three balls hit in fair territory -- all grounders -- and a handful of swings and misses.

Several Tigers officials lined up directly behind the screen Rondon pitch to five players, who were each scheduled to face three pitches in each of two rounds against him. Tigers manager Jim Leyland split time between watching Rondon on one field and Rick Porcello and Duane Below on another.

"I was just watching his demeanor and everything," Leyland said, "watching his delivery. I was watching his time to the plate."

Rondon guessed that he threw around 90 mph and said it was good to get through the first round of live batting practice. Ramon Cabrera, who caught for Rondon, said the right-hander accomplished his main goal.

"The
only thing we talked about before (the session) is he wanted to throw a
lot of strikes," he said. "He threw all his pitches pretty well, fastball,
changeup, slider. He threw a lot of strikes."

Daniel Fields, a teammate of Rondon's at Single-A Lakeland and Double-A Erie last season, was another of the five players to face him.

"He's a bulldog," Fields said. "He likes to work. He definitely goes at hitters. He's not afraid to throw that fastball, too. He's definitely a guy you like playing behind."

Fields admitted that a closer's demeanor is every bit as important as his fastball. The time he spent as Rondon's teammate has convinced him that the rookie is up to the task.

"That's the most important part," Fields said. "Some guys get down and they're down for the next couple days. You've got to be ready for the next day, because you might be out there again. But he'll be fine. He shakes that off whenever he has a bad outing."